Sunday, February 20, 2011

FIFA to decide 2014 World Cup allocations next month

By Kyodo News

TOKYO- Japan Football Association President Junji Ogura said Saturday that the allocations for the 2014 World Cup will be decided at next month’s FIFA executive committee meeting.

Ogura, an executive committee member of world soccer’s governing body, said the 32 places—minus one guaranteed for host Brazil—will be divvied up among the six confederations in Zurich on March 2 and 3.

The Asian Football Confederation had four-and-a-half places for the 2010 World Cup. Japan, South Korea, North Korea and Australia qualified for South Africa after Bahrain lost to Oceania’s New Zealand in a playoff.

Japan and South Korea reached the round of 16.

AFC President Mohammad bin Hammam said during a Kyodo News interview last month that Asia would not agree to anything less than the four-and-a-half places it has in Brazil.